TULSA – Although the waning moments of the 101st U.S. Open didn’t involve Tiger Woods, it’ll be remembered as one of the most incredible finishes in tournament history.

In what can only be described as the ultimate way to end any golf tournament, it was set up to be decided on No. 18, the 72nd and final hole of the championship.

The problem was, it wasn’t decided.

In what evolved into being one of the most bizarre endings in major championship history, South African Retief Goosen missed a 2-foot putt for the win on 18, pushing it right and bogeying to fall to 4-under.

Meanwhile, Mark Brooks, who was in the locker room cleaning out his belongings after bogeying 18 and finishing at 4-under, lives to see tomorrow.

If they can compose themselves by then, Goosen and Brooks will tee it up at noon today for an 18-hole playoff to decide the champion.

If you’d never heard of Goosen until yesterday, don’t be alarmed. Neither had most of the free world. Now his name will go down in Open history after he three-putted 18 from 12 feet needing only a par to win.

Goosen, 31, not only has never won a major championship, as a member of the European Tour, he’s never even won an event in America.

Before yesterday, Goosen had been considered an underachiever by many in South Africa.

Earlier in the day, fellow South African Ernie Els had strangely-prophetic words to say about his countryman.

“He’s quiet and confident,” Els said. “He’s a real good pressure player. When he gets his nose in front it’s hard to get him. Maybe it’s his time.”

Asked what Goosen’s strengths are, Els said, “His mind, his ability to hang in there. He’s good under pressure. He’s not afraid. Those are the main things you have to have here.”

Those, ironically, are the things that were Goosen’s undoing at the end.

Incredibly, Stewart Cink doubled 18 with a three-putt, including a 2-footer for bogey that would have left him at 4-under and in the playoff.

Brooks entered this week ranked 195th in the world. He hadn’t won a tournament since his PGA championship victory in 1996.

Really, he’s been completely off the radar since then.

The only reason he was here playing this week was because this was the last year of the five-year exemption he was granted for winning the PGA.

Brooks had seemingly leaked away a chance to finish at 5-under when he three-putted 18 from about 40 feet, leaving his right-foot par putt on the lip of the cup.

“No. 18 is tough,” Brooks said on his way off the course before his fate was decided. “I was trying to play conservative. It was unfortunate to finish with a three-putt; it was only my second this week. I’ll live to play another day.”

He sure will.

Not lost in the final-day jockeying between Brooks, Goosen and Stewart Cink was the ending of Woods’ streak of Grand Slam victories.

Woods, frustrated all week with his fluctuating game and a lack of lucky breaks, finished well back of the pack at 3-over-par after he failed to put together any sort of run to perhaps unnerve the leaders.

By late afternoon on the back nine, the tournament became a three-man race with Goosen, Cink and Brooks dueling while the rest of the competitors tumbled down the leaderboard and into oblivion.

Perhaps the most disappointing failure was by major-championship-starved Phil Mickelson, who staggered home with a final-round 5-over 75 to finish 2-over for the championship.

Mickelson, who started the day at 3-under, had his day defined on No. 13, where he would three-putt from eight feet, turning a potential eagle into a bogey, falling to even-par and out of the running.

“I just didn’t play well,” Mickelson said. “I don’t know what else to say. It was a golf course I thought I could get to. I just didn’t get that feeling. It’s a day that was disappointing, sure, but I’m not going to beat myself up over it even though I let an opportunity slip away.”

Mickelson, whose Sunday performances in majors have become traditionally disappointing, has to wonder when and if he’ll ever win a Grand Slam event seeing that he couldn’t seize this one with Woods out of the mix.

David Duval, too, has to wonder the same thing. He began the day in contention at even-par and finished 4-over.

Another colossal missed chance came from the bold, young Spaniard, Sergio Garcia, who went from 4-under to finish 3-over after a 77 yesterday. At one point, Garcia missed a two-foot par putt on No. 12.

Rocco Mediate, who also started the day one shot back at 4-under, slowly withered away with errant shots and was out of it by midway through the back nine, finishing at 2-under.

So many players fell down the leaderboard that, by late afternoon, 51-year-old Tom Kite moved onto the first page of the board at 1-over thanks to his 64 shot earlier in the day.